Home favourites Annu Rani, Animesh Kujur and Murali Sreeshankar will spearhead the country’s challenge when India’s maiden World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze level competition gets underway at the Kalinga Stadium, here on Sunday.

The one-day meet, carrying a prize purse of USD 25,000, has drawn over 150 athletes from more than 15 countries. The seasoned javelin thrower and 2023 Asian Games champion, Annu Rani will be buoyed by a 62.59-metre throw in Poland earlier this month. 

The national 200m record-holder Animesh Kujur (20.32s) sits 42nd in the world rankings, with the top 48 earning Tokyo berths. Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, fresh from three straight titles since his comeback, will look to strengthen his world ranking and fine-tune for major championships ahead.